Answer
Angiotensin II acts to increase blood pressure by its effects on vascular (arteriolar) smooth muscles. It also causes a rise in blood by stimulating the adrenal cortex and indirectly on the kidneys.
Work Step by Step
One target of Angiotensin II is arteriolar smooth muscle. Angiotensin causes these muscles to contract with subsequent constriction of the blood vessels, and consequent increase in blood pressure. Angiotensin II also stimulates the adrenal cortex. This stimulation of the adrenal cortex induces the zona glomerulosa to secrete the steroid hormone aldosterone. Aldosterone acts on the kidneys to increase the absorption of water and Na+( and the excretion of K+ and H+). The retention of water and sodium increases the blood volume which also results in a rise in blood pressure.
